Juniors, now that you have received your scores back from the school administration of the SAT it is time to come up with a plan for what comes next.
Some of you may be perfectly content with your scores and not need to do anything else, but for many of you, I know that you are focused on improving your scores. Statistically, many students are able to improve their scores when they repeat the tests because you are now familiar with the pace required to complete each section and what to expect from the tests. As a result, I encourage you to consider signing up to take another college admission test this spring or summer. You can take either the ACT or the SAT (or both). If you're not sure which test you did better on and want to focus on re-taking, you can use the Concordance Table to compare your scores. Don't forget, while there are some test dates in the fall, you need to watch your timing so that you can get the tests completed before your earliest college application deadlines. Remember, a test prep plan is going to be important if you are applying to colleges that are no longer test-optional.
To register for the tests, please visit their websites.
ACT: www.act.org
SAT: www.collegeboard.com
And, yes, sorry, there are fees for the rest of the times you take the college admissions tests. However, if you are a student who qualifies for free or reduced lunch, please stop to see me as I am able to help give you a fee waiver that can cover the cost of a test.
The other point we need to talk about is what you are going to DO between now and when you retake the test to help improve your scores. There are a wide range of options that students can do to help improve their scores, but generally speaking if you don't do something different, you will typically not see a significant change in scores. This list is in no way fully inclusive of all of your options, but it can help get you started on ideas...
- Look at your test and reflect back on what you remember from the test and review the areas that are weakest for you.
- Take free practice tests online.
- Use question of the day practice opportunities to regularly get adjusted to the types of questions you will see on the ACT/ SAT.
- Work with an individual tutor or sign up for a course. These options will have a range of costs associated with them and so it is important to know that ACT and SAT will say that the best preparation is a rigorous curriculum. However, many students have found that having someone that they are meeting with and having an appointment to work on preparing for the tests helps to hold them accountable so that they can master the strategies and truly show what they know when they take the tests. We have many tutor resources available on the Counselor Website if you are interested and I also have business cards in my office from some of the tutors/ companies.
- Make use of websites such as Khan Academy that have free test prep sections. The ACT and SAT websites also have resources and materials available for students to help prepare for their tests.
- Get one of the books with practice tests (you might even be able to find them at the library, but many students prefer to buy them so that they can write in the books).
And that actually brings me to a key point that I hit on a little earlier - I can mention lots of different ideas and strategies, but these tests are so easy to procrastinate on and think "I'll work on that later..." but so often "later" becomes "never." I know because I have been there. So try to figure out what you are realistically going to be able to set up for yourself as a plan and then stick with it. Have someone help hold you accountable and don't stop until you have reached your goals.
Good luck on your test preparation. Most of all, don't stress about it - that will never help your scores, but do the best you can and it will pay off in the long run!
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